Further -- but It's Quicker; Get a Lot of Property for Your Money and Commute to London in under an Hour

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VILLAGES in Warwickshire and Northamptonshire are not only less expensive for home seekers than their flashy counterparts in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but often better connected.

The countryside in this swathe of the Midlands, including the northern reaches of the Cotswolds, is simply beautiful -- all rolling hills and patchwork fields -- and the equal of anything in the pricey, sought-after southern Cotswolds, says Jonathan Harington of Haringtons buying agents.

He advises clients on a budget to get to know this area. "You get a lot of property for your money, and communications by trains and roads make a daily commute of under an hour to the capital possible," he says. The main downside is the price of an annual season ticket.

YARDLEY GOBION northamptonshire Where is it? pronounced to rhyme with "go beyond", Yardley Gobion lies between Towcester and Milton Keynes, in the south of the county.

The commute: Milton Keynes station is six-and-a-half miles away, with Euston trains from 35 minutes. An annual season ticket starts at PS5,028.

Plus points: the village has a primary school rated "good" by Ofsted, a pub, post office, shop, church, and social club. A walk along the Grand Union Canal just east of the village is a lovely way to spend a sunny weekend morning. Some good historic towns are near. Antoinette Givant, senior sales negotiator at Michael Graham estate agents, says: "Getting to work from here is quicker than crossing London." Watch out for: there's a lack of large family homes.

Property prices: a two-bedroom cottage would cost PS300,000-PS400,000, and a modern four-bedroom house PS450,000-PS500,000. A four- to fivebedroom detached period house with large gardens will be about PS1 million.

ILMINGTON warwickshire Where is it? On the north-eastern fringes of the Cotswolds, eight miles south of Stratford-upon-Avon.